Blogger Archives - Committee to Protect Journalists

Vietnam sentences journalist Pham Chi Thanh to 5.5 years in prison

July 15, 2021 10:34 AM EDT

Bangkok, July 15, 2021 – Vietnamese authorities should release journalist Pham Chi Thanh immediately and unconditionally, and cease imprisoning members of the press for their work, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On July 9, a Hanoi court sentenced Thanh, a journalist who blogs under the pseudonym Pham Thanh, to five years and six…

Belarusian authorities detain at least 6 bloggers since June 15

July 1, 2020 11:06 AM EDT

Vilnius, Lithuania, July 1, 2020 – Belarusian authorities should immediately release all journalists held for their work, and allow the press to cover the country’s upcoming elections without fear of prosecution, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Since June 15, authorities throughout the country have arrested at least six bloggers, according to news reports. Speaking…

A screen shot of Chechen blogger Tumso Abdurakhmanov broadcasting on one of his YouTube channels. Abdurakhmanov, a prominent blogger critical of the Chechen authorities, survived a violent assault in his home in Swedish town of Gävle on February 26, 2020.

Chechen blogger and government critic Tumso Abdurakhmanov: ‘I am constantly at risk’

March 16, 2020 10:14 AM EDT

Tumso Abdurakhmanov, a prominent blogger critical of the Chechen authorities, survived a violent assault in his home in Swedish town of Gävle on February 26, 2020. Two Russian nationals have been arrested in connection with the attack, according to a report by Agence France-Presse. CPJ documented the incident and spoke to the blogger after his…

Vietnamese blogger Tran Thi Nga is adjusting to life in the U.S. after authorities ordered her into forced exile as a condition of her early release from prison. Nga served three years of a nine-year sentence over her reporting. (Family photo)

Freedom at a high cost for Vietnamese blogger Tran Thi Nga

February 24, 2020 11:54 AM EST

When Vietnamese blogger Tran Thi Nga was arrested by authorities on January 21, 2017, she did not know at the time it would likely be the last time she would ever be in her home in northern Ha Nam province.

Protesters hold up placards and pictures of the murdered Maltese blogger Daphne Caruana Galizia as they gather outside the prime minister's office in Valletta, Malta, on November 20, 2019. CPJ and other press freedom groups are reiterating their call for an independent investigation into the journalist's killing. (AFP/Matthew Mirabelli)

Malta must avoid political interference in Caruana Galizia investigation

November 26, 2019 3:03 PM EST

CPJ and nine other international press freedom organizations today released a joint statement reiterating that the investigation into the assassination of Maltese blogger Daphne Caruana Galizia must be independent and free from political interference.

This screenshot from the El Tuz channel on YouTube shows poet and journalist Mahmud Rajabov. One journalist who covered his protest march was sent to a psychiatric ward, while another was briefly detained.

A blogger forced into psychiatric clinic in Uzbekistan

October 8, 2019 4:56 PM EDT

Washington, D.C., October 8, 2019 – Uzbekistan authorities must immediately release journalist Nafosat Olloshukurova and allow her to report freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz (right) casts his ballot on June 22, 2019, at a polling station in Nouakchott during the presidential election. Mauritania freed blogger Mohamed Cheikh Ould Mohamed, who had been imprisoned since 2014, on July 29, 2019. (AFP/Sia Kambou)

Mauritania finally frees blogger Mohamed Cheikh Ould Mohamed

July 30, 2019 11:22 AM EDT

Washington D.C., July 30, 2019–The Committee to Protect Journalists today expressed relief that Mauritanian blogger Mohamed Cheikh Ould Mohamed is free and safely out of the country. Mohamed was released yesterday and left Mauritania, according to news reports, citing his lawyer and official government news sources.

Pakistani police officers are seen in Islamabad on February 17, 2019. Journalist Muhammad Bilal Khan was recently stabbed to death in Islamabad. (AP/Anjum Naveed)

Pakistani journalist Muhammad Bilal Khan stabbed to death in Islamabad

June 19, 2019 5:00 PM EDT

New York, June 19, 2019 — Pakistani authorities should swiftly investigate the killing of journalist Muhammad Bilal Khan in Islamabad to determine the motive and hold the perpetrators to account, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

Fathimath Shehenaz holds a sign outside the Malé parliament in February, calling for justice for her brother, the blogger Ahmed Rilwan, who was abducted in 2014. (CPJ)

Maldives commission renews hope of justice for Rilwan and Rasheed

March 18, 2019 6:00 PM EDT

Mission Journal: With a new presidential commission investigating the abduction of Ahmed Rilwan Abdulla and the murder of Yameen Rasheed, CPJ’s Asia program research associate Aliya Iftikhar travels to Malé in late February to speak with the bloggers’ families about their pursuit of justice, and with authorities about the progress and challenges in the cases.

President Miguel Díaz-Canel talks to the press in Havana on February 24 after voting in a referendum on a new constitution in Havana. Several critical news sites were blocked in Cuba on the date of the vote. (AP/Ramon Espinosa)

Critical news websites blocked during Cuba referendum vote

February 25, 2019 5:01 PM EST

Miami, February 25, 2019– Cuban authorities should immediately ensure citizens have access to news websites, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Several critical news sites were blocked in the country yesterday, as Cuba held a national referendum on proposed changes to its constitution, news sites reported.